If this is the end to the Hometown Heartbreakers series, then anyone who has read all the other books, should read this one too. It introduces the half-sister to the brothers-Travis, Jordan, Kyle and Craig. It's a little involved, there is a slight suspense story included because of Nick's undercover work. Hannah's birth mother is not dying and all ends well. It doesn't ring true all the time, but hey, this is romance!
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The Passion of Artemisia is the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, born in Rome in 1593. After the death of her mother, Artemisia was raised by her father, who was himself, an artist. Vreeland tells us that the book is, for the most part, historically accurate, and I have no reason to doubt her veracity. However, the historical portions, the descriptions of the art and the cities, etc., make up the only interesting parts of the book.
When the book opens, Artemisia is a girl of eighteen who stands at the center of a rape trial. Artemisia wants to see justice done, but her father has other ideas and other things on his mind and Artemisia is left ruined and unmarriageable.
Although unmarriageable, Artemisia does wed and only about a year later as well. The union is a relatively happy and peaceful one and her husband, also a painter, takes her to his native Florence where they both pursue their vocation until Artemisia gives birth to a daughter.
When Artemisia clearly proves to be the superior painter, her harmonious relationship she has enjoyed with her husband ends and she eventually leaves him, taking their daughter with her. She travels first to Genoa, then to Rome, then to Naples. She is determined to support both herself and her child as a painter, no matter how much society is against the idea.
Artemisia Gentileschi was a fascinating woman. She was the first woman admitted to the Florentine Academy, she was a woman who lived apart from her husband at a time when living apart from one's husband was virtually unknown. She moved in the same social circles as the Medicis and the other families of the Italian nobility. Artemisia was, as the title of the book, suggests, a passionate woman. So, what is the problem here?
The problem with this book is twofold. First, the character of Artemisia, as painted by Vreeland, is both dull and flat. Instead of giving us a fascinating character, Vreeland seems to be using Artemisia as a vehicle through which to give us her views of the issues of Renaissance Italy. Artemisia "talks" at length about science, art, religion and politics, but her views are not those of a passionate artist, they are the views of someone totally detached from the day-to-day life of the times. Unfortunately, we learn nothing about Artemisia's passion for her art, for her husband, for her child, for her homeland. This is the story of a cold and cerebral woman, not a passionate, life-affirming one. It is only when Artemisia is analyzing the painting of others that she becomes in the least bit interesting as a human being.
The second thing wrong with this book is the poor quality of the writing. The narrative prose is just awful. It is a mystery to me why Vreeland wrote this way and even more of a mystery as to why her editor (or even a first reader) didn't catch (and fix) the problems. Wherever the fault lies, there is simply no excuse to foist bad narrative prose on the book-buying public. It is really unforgiveable.
Artemisia Gentileschi was a fascinating and passionate woman. She certainly deserved better than this.
Artists frequently reflect that art is a lonely lifestyle, and Vreeland portrays the conflict between living for one's art and living for love. Artemisia fairly often comes across as self-absorbed, and then is later stunned when her husband or daughter rejects her in some form. It is probably a realistic if not wholly sympathetic portrayal. Occasionally, Vreeland interferes with her character by putting modern thoughts into her seventeenth century characters' heads. ("Let them wonder about that for centuries," Artemisia muses) Certainly a worthwhile read for art lovers, and also, I feel, a book that can generate discussion of the conflict of love and loyalty versus pursuit of one's art and independence. Excellent for book groups.
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I love dogs (own two, one mixed Golden and one backyard-bred purebred Golden Retreiver.) I love the training tips in her books but object to her attitudes about mixed breeds and "pet quality" purebreds. My mixed Golden is as smart as Rowdy any day of the week and my backyard bred Golden is as sweet as a dog could be. They are my best buds.
I also take offense to her attitude about "anyone who weighs more than 150lbs." As a matter of fact, I do. I haven't always but I do now, and I wear shorts!! Perhaps Miss Conant is a size 2, if so, perhaps she should be on the cover of Vogue. If not, how about not being so negative about the rest of us. After all, we buy her books, at least we have up to this point.
And as far as the Freemasons go, who cares!! I purchased her books because I like the original premise...A woman who writes about dogs for a living, trains dogs for a hobby, and gets herself involved in mysteries. MY KIND OF GIRL!!! Hopefully the rest of the sereis will get back to Holly Winter, Dog Writer who has a Vet for her lover.... Where is he, anyway!!
I have to disagree with the reader from Omaha, NE. The first few pages of this book were OK. They seemed to set up a good, strong heroine. It went downhill fast. She is a teacher/chaperone at a camp. She leaves all the sleeping teenagers to go off to get two that snuck out to a party. The first thing she should have done was get help. She gets to the party, sees everyone is drinking/doing pot/sex(?) and doesn't call the police. I don't know what the age of consent/drinking is in New Zealand, but someone had to be breaking the law. And the author manages to get Anya out of her clothes while she is confronting a drunken male senior. Enough already. Read RECKLESS CONDUCT instead of this. I think the reason I'm really annoyed is that, for the most part I liked the characters and wished they had a better plot.
This is a well written romance with all of the pieces sexual tension, strong heroine, a hero that "sees the light" and a fun plot. I actually laughed a lot while reading this book. I would recommend this book to all romance readers.
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I gave this 3 stars because I liked Travis, and the way the story started. However, about half-way through the book, I became annoyed. Sorry to give part of the plot away, but Elizabeth was married (?) to a bigamist. She met the guy while in college. Her move to Glenwood is so she can start over where no one knows her. Now she's attracted to Travis, who has the Haynes boys' reputation of love 'em and leave 'em. The difference here is that everyone knows the guy, he's not married and just about everyone but Elizabeth can see he's serious about her. The last quarter of the book was just so much emoting about--how can I trust ever again--that I just read the end to finish it. This is part of the Haynes brothers series, so if you've read any of the others, you'll probably read this too.
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If you can go with the plot, it's a fine story. A little reminiscent of the movie, "Bells Are Ringing" with Judy Hilliday and Dean Martin. But this hero is wounded physically and in his heart. Cathy is a 20 pound overweight young woman who has given up her dreams. They both need one another, and the story deals with them accepting and coming to grips with the love they feel for each other.
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My advice to readers new to Ms. Isaacs is to start with one of her other novels. After reading "Shining Through," which I LOVED, I couldn't get enough of her wit and great writing style and read all the rest of her published books in succession. This one was such a letdown.
Ms. Isaacs, PLEASE go back to your former style!
I was reading the other day that Isaac, in hebrew, means something like he who laughs, which seems fitting because Ms. I's books definitely display a sense of humor. There's an effortlessness to them. They reveal the ease of an adult who knows herself well and doesn't feel the need to pose or proove herself.
I found myself a little freaked out that the principals were both younger than I. It was so cool when she wrote about women in their forties. The 27 year old thing left me feeling a little lonely.
Ms. Susan is the only bestselling author I read consistently. As soon as I see her book on the shelf (this time under the pretext of sending it to my sister for Hanukkah), I either read it right there at Barnes and Noble or snarf it up, unable to tolerate the separation anxiety of it lying in the store overnight just as I'm getting involved.
The first thing I check is her pic. Over the years her image has transformed tastefully. I see she decided to stick with the spare and elegant Lily W. photo where she appears very much the tasteful, sexy, earthy Jewish woman writer.
I keep wondering when Hollywood will make some of these books into movies? I know, I know, Compromising Positions (who can forget such a great cast?) and the one with Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglass (WHICH star is supposed to be the jew?!) But I want to see After All These Years, where the abandoned wife has an affair with her son's drug dealer friend in the course of tracking down her husband's murderer.
Two more things: In the acknowledgements, Ms. I thanks Woody Allen. Are they friends? Do she and Elkan and Woody and Soon-yi meet for sushi? This cat is curious.
Also, I feel a little uncomfortable evaluating this author who feels more like an extremely cool aunt/cousin than a disembodied presence, I honestly do not know how to rate this book. In terms of companionship and entertainment, it proved a 5 star deal for me for sure. In terms of prose style, historical detail, intricacy of plot and character development, and layering of metaphor I find myself reflecting on how this book compared to another bestselling historical novel/ murder mystery, Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood. Judged by the aforementioned criteria, Isaacs's book is not, in my opinion, nearly as profound an accomplishment.
In my ideal world, Margaret and Susan and I would discuss the subject openly and without rancor. This is because R, W & B, like all of Isaacs's books, inspires in me the desire to hang out and shmooze with the author. So if you're ever in San Diego...
To the author: Thanks so much for continuing to provide such engaging work. My goal for your next novel is to read it sanely and moderately rather than devouring it like a bag of chips ahoys soaked in heroin.
Lauren, the NY reporter, and Charlie, the FBI agent from Jackson Wyoming couldn't be more different. Yet as the book shows, they share values and the past (tho they don't know it). I couldn't get over how they are descended from the same people who came to America 100 years earlier. Lauren and Charlie are investigating a bombing and I was so caught up in their lives! In large part, I think it's because I knew so much about them and their families it's as if my own relatives were up against the radicals who set the bomb. But I guess that's the point of the book, that we could be family, that one way or another, we Americans are all related. One more thing: The ending was one of the best I've read. So many times you read a good book and the last pages let you down. Not here!
This is the last book in this series about the brothers. There is one more about the half sister. Likeable lead characters and the story does progress OK, but talk about a guy that broods. The cat really annoyed me however. Jordan risked his life for the cat, and as much as it might annoy cat lovers out there--a man's life is worth more. I would have felt better if he had risked his life for her. This is where you find out why he dislikes Louise (housekeeper). This is also the reason I didn't give it another star. Even Jordan had to have realized at his age that his dad, an adult, seduced a 17 year old with no experience. His dad did it a lot to just about any one in a skirt. Why blame Louise? This part annoyed me. Holly is carrying around her own 'baggage'-- but at least she's willing to take a risk. If you have read the others, you'll read this.